Stephen F. Austin State University alumna Niki Satterwhite was a deaf and hard of hearing education 2011 graduate. She passed away from cancer in 2014. SFA alumni and faculty members from the deaf and hard of hearing program have raised funds to purchase a brick on the Walk of Recognition in Satterwhite’s memory.
The Walk of Recognition is located in the Sesquicentennial Plaza near the SFA fountain on campus, and the hand-etched bricks symbolize one’s tribute to the university.
Satterwhite, a native of Tennessee Colony, Texas, graduated from SFA in 2011 from the deaf and hard of hearing program and became a teacher for deaf and hard of hearing students at Tyler Independent School District.
Dr. J. Lindsey Kennon, lecturer in SFA’s deaf and hard of hearing program, taught Satterwhite and has been coordinating this endeavor.
“Honoring Niki with a brick would allow us not only to remember a precious, beloved graduate, but also highlight Niki’s devotion to the field of deaf education,” Kennon said. “Niki will always be remembered as a person who was fully dedicated to the profession. To honor such an example of devotion and service exemplifies the core values of the James I. Perkins College of Education. The fact that her fellow classmates were so quick and eager to raise the $500 needed for the largest brick available is a testament to Niki’s imprint on us all.”
Alumni and faculty members also will begin raising money to endow an alumni scholarship in Satterwhite’s memory.
“Niki always had a smile on her face and was a light to all who knew her. She was a true Lumberjack, participating in many campus events and showing her true Lumberjack pride,” Kennon said.
The program will host a ceremony at a later date where alumni and students can participate in placing the brick in Satterwhite’s memory.
